Countdown
by LilyBartAndTheOthers
Summary: Six one shots until NYE, following the evolution of Jane and Maura's relationship on December 31st, one year after the other. Rizzles endgame.
1. Red Lingerie on Interstate 90

**_Author's note:_****_ welcome over here for the series of one shots until NYE; daily updates as usual and reviews more than appreciated._**

**Story One: Red Lingerie on Interstate 90**

Jane Rizzoli might have never liked celebrating New Year's Eve, she hadn't imagined either that she would spend it one day stuck on the Interstate 90 between Fenway Park and Back Bay and going from one car to another in order to check whatever was left of unlucky drivers after a terrible accident had happened there.

She owed such situation to the mafia.

A double homicide that had finished in a pile-up thus sparing her an endless evening at home with her parents talking about nothing but ex-classmates who had got married or given birth while she was still single.

Huddled against her padded jacket – an oversized one – she gladly accepted the cup of coffee that one of her colleagues had brought her. The ballet of sirens and lights in the darkness of the night offered a singular yet beautiful scenery; if it weren't for the blood now absorbed by the asphalt, ambulances – almost quiet – driving away like ballerinas.

Not a single person had survived. They had estimated the amount of casualties to twenty-two people who hadn't been identified yet. The night would be long. The new year gloomy.

"Are you wearing red lingerie?"

The question made her choke on her hot drink. Taken aback and slightly scared, the detective turned her head around to stare at the woman who had formulated such inquiry.

Dr. Maura Isles, the new Chief Medical Examiner of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

A rather good-looking yet strange woman in her mid-thirties Jane had met at the Division One Cafe a couple of days before. She hadn't forgotten the hilarious awkwardness of their conversation nor the unique misunderstanding of the whole situation.

Jane cast a glance around. The context wasn't particularly appropriate for a joke and - in all honesty - she had a hard time believing that the scientist was in the mood to make any.

"Excuse me?"

Cheerfully – holding a cup of tea in her leather-gloved hands – the honey blonde approached Jane and leaned against the car as well to have a full view over the scene.

"Rizzoli.. I am going to assume that you have Italian roots. The tradition wants that Italians wear red underwear on December, 31st to bring good luck and keep away bad energy for the new year that has to come."

Jane frowned, still not much reassured by the explanation. It surely was the first time that a medical examiner asked her such personal question.

The honey blonde was pretty much still a stranger to her. It was the first time they actually worked together.

A bit uncertain yet eager to not let go so easily of the unexpected conversation, the Italian squinted her eyes at her interlocutor and pouted.

"Maura Isles, right?"

The scientist nodded and tended her hand for a handshake. Jane obliged; forcing a smile on her lips. They would work a lot together so she'd better make sure they got along. If that was ever possible.

Her background history with the medical examiner's office wasn't glorious so far.

"As much as my grandmother was born in Sicilia, I'm afraid that I don't stick up much to such err... To such New Year's Eve tradition. How about you?" Jane turned red like a brick as she realized – a bit too late, though – what she had just asked.

To the chief medical examiner of all people. On a car crash scene. But the blonde didn't seem troubled by the question. She looked peaceful; oddly serene in the middle of such chaos.

"I don't have Italian roots. Irish, mostly. And French, although my parents now live in Switzerland; near Zurich."

A rookie passed by. Jane smiled briefly at him before focusing back on the woman standing next to her. She crossed her arms against her chest as the wind began to blow harder.

"And no traditions, there? I refuse to believe Italy's the only European country that has some."

The medical examiner shook her head vehemently before a light laugh passed her lips. She focused on her shoes; twelve-inch stilettos. Expensive ones.

"Of course not. Every single country – all around the world – has its way to celebrate the new year. It goes innately with the development of cultures. It is basic sociology... That being said, I dislike it. I dislike New Year's Eve... Don't take my upcoming confession the wrong way but I am actually quite glad to be here, tonight."

Jane giggled and emptied her cup of coffee. The last ambulance had just left. The scene was almost clear, now. Soon, the darkness would fall back on the road almost as if nothing had happened.

"No worries, I definitely see what you mean." She hadn't meant to sound sarcastic but her tone did not reflect any other feeling.

"Does it make you feel nostalgic as well? As a child, I didn't celebrate it much. My parents did but I was not invited to the party. I was supposed to stay in my room for the rest of the night. I guess it is mostly synonym to boredom and loneliness to me, now. A terrible assimilation, obviously."

"I hope your shrink sends you a greeting card every year."

Confused, Maura abandoned the contemplation of her shoes to lock her eyes with the detective's. A twinkle in Jane's gaze made her smile in spite of her incomprehension.

"How so?"

The homicide detective shrugged and barely repressed a laugh. If the new medical examiner was _that_ literal, she would have a blast during upcoming autopsies.

"You sound like the kind of patients thanks to who shrinks can afford a house in the Adirondacks."

"_Whom_." Maura paused – not really upset by the remark – and bit her lower lip. "_Thanks to whom_, not _who_. My therapist put an end to our collaboration when I was fourteen."

"What happened?"

Someone brought a couple of papers to Maura. She signed them – authorizing her team to leave – and scheduled the autopsies for the next morning. A few seconds passed by before she answered the detective's question properly.

"She assumed I had gone as far as I was supposed to. Therapies don't last forever..."

The note of regret in the medical examiner's voice made Jane frown. For some reason, she hadn't liked it at all. It had made her heart hurt a bit. Empathy at its best for someone she didn't know.

A first.

"You can go back home, Rizzoli. We're done. Or to your parents'. If so, tell hi to your mom for me and thank her again for the homemade cookies." Korsak winked at the brunette then nodded a bit timidly at the medical examiner. "See you tomorrow, Dr. Isles."

"Autopsies start at 8.30!" The moan coming from Jane made Maura pause. She turned her head around, questioned her colleague with big hazel eyes. A few seconds passed by before she nodded with that same enthusiasm she had showed when arriving on scene. "9.30..."

Korsak smiled and went back to his car before driving away. As she watched him leave, Jane cast a brief glance around and realized that the last members of the BPD were getting dispatched all over the city.

She and Maura were the only ones who hadn't moved yet as if eager to make it last.

Oddly enough.

"Are you from Boston?"

Jane nodded and straightened up with pride.

"Born and raise. How about you?"

The medical examiner seemed to hesitate. She wasn't at ease talking about her origins, apparently. The detail piqued the detective's curiosity.

"I was born here as well but moved to Europe almost immediately after my birth. I grew up there... Between Paris and Lausanne, mainly."

"And now you're back, here. That's one way to celebrate your roots, see?" A laugh accompanied her remark, soon followed by a friendly smile.

Maura was a bit strange but she liked it. There was something sweet about her, an odd strength that seemed to melt at times in pure fragility. But most of all, Jane thought that she was glowing. A very caring person, very much alive in spite of the singularity of her job position.

"I suppose we can say so, indeed."

The words barely had time to pass Maura's lips that a loud explosion made them turn around and look up at the sky. All of a sudden, Boston succumbed to a rainbow of colors lighting up the river, the buildings.

Fireworks. This time, the celebrations had really begun.

"Happy New Year, Maura Isles." Fascinated by the scenery like a child, Jane let a timid smile play on her lips.

The blonde closed her eyes and took a big - satisfied - breath.

"Happy New Year, Jane Rizzoli."

Alone on a cut Interstate 90 as the last patrol car had finally left, both women remained there, leaned against the detective's car observing in silence the fireworks in the night.

All of a sudden, the honey blonde bent over to reduce the distance with the brunette.

"I am not Italian but I have to admit that I _am_ wearing red lingerie."

Jane turned her head around and stared for a few seconds at Maura; in disbelief.

Then she burst out laughing.


	2. Of Smores and Availability

_**Author's note:**** Thank you very much for all the reviews.**  
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**Story Two: Of Smores and Availability**

Maura checked one more time the stick that Jane was holding out to her and wrinkled her nose in obvious disapproval. Too many elements were going against the idea of her trying it out.

"I am not too sure. This is full of edulcorants and chemical products. I don't even mention the amount of calories."

Jane stared at her friend in disbelief. A year. She had met the honey blonde a year earlier and Maura still managed to leave her perplexed in spite of all that time they had spent together. In all honesty – although she would never say it openly – Jane liked it.

She took it as a game of some sort. Between out-of-the-blue remarks and eyerolls, their interactions responded to a scheme that worked out as well as it could even if it seemed odd for anyone else. Their friendship took aback way too many people.

"Wow. You're the first person who manages to ruin the smore spirit, Maura. Congrats."

As expected, the medical examiner completely missed the sarcasm of Jane's remark and shrugged in apologies before grabbing the stick reluctantly.

"Just because something is trendy – in the United States, that is – doesn't mean that I have to follow it as well." She moved on the couch, out of nervousness. "I don't mind if I don't fit in. I am used to."

Jane didn't miss the way her friend had pronounced her last sentence; how her tone of voice seemed to have lowered of an octave under the weight of a delicate past. It made the brunette's heart ache as soon as it happened. She did not like seeing Maura suffer, even if just from reminiscences.

"I promise you that you won't regret it. Remember how you liked fluff?" Jane smiled friendly as she saw her friend nod at the question. "Well, smores are just as good; if not even better."

A twinkle appeared in Maura's hazel eyes. The Italian surely knew how to convince her to try many things. Her life had changed since she had met Jane. For the better. The brunette had become a very good friend – closer than she would have ever dared to imagine – while the Rizzolis had turned into a family; a second one. She finally knew what it felt like to prepare dinner for relatives, to enjoy an entire Sunday with people who weren't just mere colleagues.

Her existence had brightened; she now actually knew what it was like to live. Just live, in its barest sense.

Taking a deep breath, she finally bit into the melted marshmallow and chewed on it. The sugar – as much as it was artificial – spread on her tongue, eliciting thus a moan of pleasure that rose from her throat with a rather obvious sincerity.

Jane grinned.

"See? This is why you should always listen to me."

The remark made Maura burst out laughing. She put the stick down – slightly turned on a side – and stared at Jane as if she had lost her mind. She crossed her arms against her chest; shook her head.

"I do recognize that smores are good but this is not enough to make a generality out of it." Maura paused to emphasize the last part of her statement. "Really."

Jane snorted but didn't insist. Instead, she stood up and walked to the kitchen for a second round of hot chocolate. It was the second New Year's Eve she spent with Maura but this one could hardly be more different than the previous one. She still had in mind the chaos on Interstate 90 and their odd conversation about red lingerie. Odd yet charming.

It had really defined their friendship.

This time around, none of them was working. They were both staying at the scientist's house for a quiet pj's evening made of smores and hot chocolate by the fireplace. A peaceful moment, intimate. And she had no idea what color her friend's lingerie was.

Mugs in hands, the Italian walked back to the couch – put the beverages down on the coffee table – then settled on the seat. They had already watched two movies and talked about a thousand things. All the detective wanted was to avoid to turn into Maura's Guinea pig for some hair or nail varnish experimentation.

"How are your parents?" Jane repressed the urge to make a face as she asked such question.

She did know how hard it was for Maura to talk about them. The honey blonde might not say it out loud but there was a lot of remorse in the relation she shared with them.

Many untold regrets.

"They are presently in Beijing for my mother's upcoming exhibition." Maura smiled – politely just as she had been taught – but didn't add anything else. Instead, she started playing with the stick of her smores.

"You should tell them."

The medical examiner looked up, extremely surprised by Jane's bold advice.

She tilted her head on a side as a mysterious smile played on her lips and she let a few seconds pass by; not that she wouldn't know what to say but because her anger needed to vanish first, as well as her frustration.

"Tell them what? That I have published an article about the importance of ultrasound pictures in forensics? That I am about to welcome new medical students at my office for the next couple of months? That I date women? That I am very pleased to have moved back here? That I have just purchased an old – very old – copy of _A Midsummer Night Dream_?" Disillusioned, Maura shook her head. "They aren't really interested in all this. The fact that I am healthy is the only thing they care about."

The silence that followed her rant didn't turn out to be the one she had expected.

Jane was impulsive and such statement shouldn't have let her speechless. Yet as Maura kept on smiling – disarmed – she couldn't but come to the conclusion that her friend had frozen and was now unable to say a word.

"But I am fine, you know. I mean it is o-..."

Maura didn't have time to finish the sentence she wanted reassuring enough. Jane's hoarse voice hit the air, sweeping all the rest away without any warning.

"You date women?"

The medical examiner paused, blinked. Taken aback by the question, she looked down at her lap not knowing what to say. She hadn't paid attention to the series of affirmations she had said out loud. It all had come up by itself, way too naturally.

For it being the logical truth of her life.

Jane moved slightly on the couch, the necessary inches to sit Indian style on it. Jo Friday jumped on her lap and settled there. Absentmindedly, the brunette began to caress the dog waiting for a reply to something she shouldn't have asked perhaps. Too late, though.

"Not at the moment..."

The vague answer made her raise an unconvinced eyebrow. Maura was now avoiding her gaze at all cost and not so discreetly to say the least. Jane swallowed hard. She felt confused.

She might have met the honey blonde a year earlier barely, it hadn't crossed her mind a single second that she could actually be attracted to women.

"But... I've seen you... I mean you... Guys...?" Jane heavily blushed before her ridiculous stuttering that betrayed her discomfort if not just embarrassment.

A nervous giggle escaped from Maura's lips. She shrugged and smiled almost apologetically at her friend; her trembling lips revealing her latent nervousness.

"Why should I choose between both sexes?"

A branch crackled loudly in the fireplace. Jane turned her head around to look at it then nodded a bit evasively.

"Indeed..."

She didn't mind all in all – she liked Maura no matter what – but for some reason, she quite had the feeling that the honey blonde had just dropped a bomb in the middle of a slumber party. She hadn't been prepared for this. Not the slightest bit.

Focused on the fireplace, Jane ran her tongue over her lips and squinted her eyes before invisible wonders until a grin lit up her features.

"And you're still single in spite of it?"

The medical examiner burst out laughing. The least she could say was that she was rather unlucky in love. Not that Jane was doing any better but something told her that the brunette didn't need any reminder; her mother was enough of one on a daily basis.

"Who needs a significant other when I can have smores and hot chocolate on New Year's Eve with you, by the fireplace?"

Maura's words seemed to rise in the air with a delicate strength – the one of honesty – as a shade of pink embraced the honey blonde's cheeks. Jane smiled, uncertain of how she was supposed to react before such compliment. She bit her lips as if to repress a grin then grabbed her mug to raise it high.

She locked her eyes with Maura's, nodded enthusiastically.

"Happy New Year, Maura Isles."

The scientist repeated the gesture – this time with her own beverage – and sat Indian style as well to raise her mug. She smiled back at her friend.

"Happy New Year, Jane Rizzoli."


	3. Irremediably Linked

_**Author's note:**** Thank you very much for all the reviews.**_

**Story Three: Irremediably Linked**

She hadn't slept much the night before. As a matter of fact, insomnia had stormed into her life quite a while ago when she had realized a couple of things regarding her feelings for Jane.

By then, it all had crumbled down like a house of cards. Just like that, without any warning. She had stared at her reflection in the mirror of her bathroom – the same one before which she was now standing – and it had appeared clearly to her mind. Cruelly.

She was in love with Jane.

Of course, she hadn't let her friend know. It wasn't mutual and the brunette was straight. She hadn't even abandoned herself to fantasies for knowing beforehand that it was all vain and nourishing a few dreams like that would only manage to hurt her even more. Instead, she had buried it in the darkest corner of her mind – the loneliest part of her heart – and then had drawn a line under the whole thing as if it were that easy when it was actually the exact opposite.

Clutching to the edge of the sink, Maura frowned and observed her features with attention. She did look tired. Her hair up in a ponytail emphasized her obvious exhaustion while her face – usually so graceful – looked now deep and bare.

Her eyes red and puffy from all the tears she hadn't managed to keep inside her body.

Annoyed before the pitiful image sent back by the mirror, she left the room and walked down to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine. She should have worked, that night. It would have made everything easier to forget. But the complexity of team scheduling had pushed her to be home for New Year's Eve.

And alone.

Jane was with _him_. The honey blonde pursed her lips at the thought and took a deep breath. She did not want to think about that. Not now. Never, actually. She heard enough times about him like that.

She walked to the couch – bottle of wine in hand – and sat down before turning the television on. It was late but she didn't feel like going to bed. What for, anyway? She wouldn't fall asleep.

Only tears managed to rock her to sleep, lately. Bitter, burning ones.

She was about to settle her choice over some black and white movie when someone knocked at the door. Taken aback, she nonetheless stood up and walked to open to her late-night visitor yet after a vague attempt of making herself look more presentable.

"Jane?" Unable to move, Maura remained still before the Italian; blinking from time to time as if to make sure that it wasn't a mere hallucination.

Hands in the pockets of her coat, the brunette shrugged and waited patiently for her friend to let her come in. It is only when the detective entered that Maura realized she was wearing stilettos and one of her rare black dresses. Her hair was done. She had makeup on. She was dressed up to the nine, definitely not ready for a casual night at Maura's.

Nonchalantly, Jane abandoned her coat on the chair by the desk then headed to the couch in order to sit there. Hands on her lap, she stared straight in front of her; remained quiet. Maura joined her, still confused before her presence here. She had other plans, tonight. Very different ones.

"Where is Casey?" The scientist repressed the urge to make a face at the sound of his name. Even a mention – as evasive as it was – cost her a lot.

"Gone." Jane took a deep breath then folded her legs against her. She grabbed a cushion to held it as tight as she could. "He's gone. Definitely."

The words resounded loud in the living-room, carried by incomprehension. Maura frowned. It was completely unexpected. The last time she had seen her friend, the Italian was thrilled to see him in Boston for New Year's Eve.

Casey had managed to get a few days off, the first ones in months. Jane had kept on talking about it. And yet, things had obviously headed another way.

"You weren't in love with him, were you?"

For once, the honey blonde hadn't gone for implicit rules dictated by conventions. She had actually let her heart speak out; for relief and truth. Because she knew that it wasn't wishful thinking. Jane had never been in love with Casey. She simply liked the idea he brought along. And yet, she was anything but sure of it.

The brunette didn't seem to take the question badly. She barely reacted to it, as a matter of fact.

Now in a foetal position against Maura, Jane shrugged and closed her eyes. There were some things that she wasn't ready to recognize, even less say out loud. She would probably need time for that. A lot of time. For the moment, she felt lost among her very own life and a series of facts that she had taken for the right ones but had now adopted the shape of uncertainty.

She didn't know anything anymore. She didn't want to think about it.

"Are you afraid of loneliness?"

Maura stiffened but kept on caressing her friend's hair. It hurt to have her against her like that, still in her arms; the top of her head mere inches away from her lips. She swallowed hard and squinted her eyes as if to make it easier to find an answer like that. Long seconds passed by before her own voice to resound loud. Determined.

"No."

A sigh passed Jane's lips. She let one of her arms slide along her friend's waist; her leg travel up the blonde's ones. She needed to cuddle. To cuddle with Maura. Nobody else could bring her the peace she needed now. Maura was the only one. She had always been and nothing would change that.

Not a single person; even less a man.

"How come?"

A bittersweet smile embraced the medical examiner's lips. She cast a brief glance at the television. The hero was holding the woman of his dreams in his arms.

"Because I am not lonely. I ceased to be the day you made it into my life." The confession rose in the air with the sweetness of the barest sincerities and the cruelty of untold feelings. Words in poor disguise.

Maura closed her eyes to prevent some tears from rolling down her cheeks.

"I will never leave you. You know that, don't you?"

She nodded at Jane's remark, bit her lips. There was nothing less sure, in all honesty. Since the day Casey had stormed in, Jane had taken her distance with her; if only subconsciously. Little by little, she had stopped coming to Beacon Hill several nights a week. She had put an end to their evenings at the movies. Their relation had suffered from it.

Maura had simply not complained about it. She had accepted the changes in silence because it was not her role to protest. On the contrary. As a friend, she was expected to be supportive and to look happy.

As for the rest – her sleepless nights, her tears – it wasn't something that had to turn public.

"I missed you." Jane closed her eyes before her very own confession and clenched her fists. She bit the inside of her cheek as if to prevent a moan from passing her lips.

Maura smiled, almost proudly.

"Are you wearing red lingerie?" The question came up by itself as a necessary reminiscence of an odd anniversary of some sort and made Jane giggle.

"People are going to start thinking that you are obsessed with my underwear, do you realize it?"

The medical examiner smirked – raised an eyebrow – and shrugged. She grabbed her glass of wine, took a long sip as if to win time before her inevitable reply.

"I don't mind much what people might think."

"Ain't you bold..." Jane sat up – grabbed the bottle of wine – and took a sip directly out of it. She knew that Maura wouldn't say anything regarding such gesture. Not now. Not tonight. She turned around to properly look at her friend for the first time since she had arrived but didn't smile. "We are meant to spend all our remaining New Year's Eves together, aren't we?"

Amused, Maura shrugged and laughed lightly. She couldn't have asked for a better turn of events. If Jane stayed home – and she knew that the brunette would – then she would sleep well. Jane soothed her, brought her all the things she was lacking of. The Italian was her necessary balance.

The only one who could make her feel complete.

"Is it a bad thing?" The scientist looked down at her lap, uncertain of the way she was supposed to take her slight boldness.

The kiss on the scientist(s cheek resounded loud. Unexpected. It made her blush yet she didn't dare to return it. Instead, she smiled peacefully at Jane then winked.

"Happy New Year, Jane Rizzoli."

The brunette nodded – with determination – while a mysterious twinkle appeared in her eyes as she turned around and stared at the fireplace. She ran her tongue over her lips; slowly.

"Happy New Year, Maura Isles."

Her whisper sounded hopeful, different; and serene.


	4. A Four-Year Evolution

_**Author's note:**** Thank you very much for all the reviews, it is a pleasure to read them.**_

**Story Four: A Four-Year Evolution**

The nerves. As Maura rushed back to her car to pick up an extra pair of latex gloves, she let a very heavy sigh pass her lips before clenching her teeth angrily. She was pissed and didn't mind it at all that people could see it. On the contrary.

After months of moral support to help Jane overcome her breakup, Casey was back into the picture. Worse: he had proposed the Italian after a few hours in Boston. And Jane – apparently amnesic before what she had gone through – had forgotten her pain to the point she might give him a second chance.

And break Maura's heart forever. Just like that, through a three-character word. A mere 'yes'.

"What was that?"

The honey blonde slammed the door of her car and turned around to shoot an icy glare at her friend. She shrugged then resumed her walking towards the crime scene. A thin curtain of rain was falling – making the roads icy – and she didn't want to lose any more time outside. She was too cold. The morgue seemed a lot more appealing in spite of everything.

"I don't see what you are talking about." Lie. Yet she couldn't care less about getting hives or even pass out. At this point, she could have even died that it would have not made it worse.

At least the pain would have ceased.

"Oh, bullshit. Casey drops me here and you yell at him for absolutely no reason when he tells you hi. I know you're a bit antisocial when you want to but come on... Make an effort and be polite!"

Maura stopped suddenly. Jane bumped into her by accident and raised both arms in the air as if to apologize. A few feet away, the typical frenzy of a crime scene had everyone else's attention. Both women could have killed each other that it would have passed unnoticed.

Jane bit her lower lip nervously and tilted her head on a side before looking at Maura with her big puppy eyes. She hated it when it went like that.

"What is going on? Please, talk to me." Her hoarse voice vanished in a bare whisper; a shaking one that echoed the uncertainty of her current being. Her fear.

The medical examiner shrugged but didn't say a word. She had no excuse whatsoever for what she had just done except for the amount of pain Casey had inflicted to Jane for the past few months.

And she couldn't tolerate it. Nobody hurt Jane. Nobody did that as long as she was herself alive and breathing.

"Maura, what is it?"

"There is a corpse waiting for..." The scientist didn't finish her sentence. The words vanished – trapped in her throat – as she felt Jane's hand tighten a grip on her forearm.

"All the fucking crime scenes in the world can wait. I want to know what's going on."

A truck honked somewhere in the background. Maura turned around briefly to look in the direction of the intrusive sound then found a sudden interest in the observation of the gloves she was holding. What could she say? She had got trapped into a dead-end alley. Unable to properly speak, she only shook her head and sighed rather loudly; bitterly.

"I don't like it when you hide things from me." Jane looked sorry, and hurt. "You don't like him, do you?"

"This isn't the issue..."

The detective snorted and crossed her arms against her chest in a protective attempt. She was cold and felt lonely. Obviously, it wouldn't be a very memorable New Year's Eve.

"Well, I think it is." Jane rolled her eyes and made a step towards her friend. "Maybe you see things differently but I do give people a second chance. Especially people I care about. Yes, Casey hurt me but he also apologized. He recognized his own mistakes."

Maura clenched her fists and swallowed hard. She didn't want to make a scene. Not now. Not there. Too many people were around. It was a very bad timing.

"I cannot force myself to like someone who made you feel miserable for so long and damaged your self-confidence. You cannot ask me that."

Her words hit Jane like a ton of bricks. She hadn't expected that. Maura was never harsh, always a tad balanced in the way she expressed her opinions. Especially on such personal subject.

Sure she couldn't lie and the brunette had guessed that her friend didn't like Casey much but still, it was not how she had imagined it to go. Not the slightest bit.

"No, indeed."

A heavy silence began to float above their heads, barely troubled by the murmurs of the BPD there on the crime scene; on the other side of the yellow tape that secured the area. Television vans were already on their way. Now within a few minutes, the place would be crowded.

Jane turned on her heels and took a deep breath to repress the tears that were menacing to roll down on her cheeks.

"Let's go back to work, now."

Maura looked at the Italian go away, counting her steps in her head. As she made it to number seven, she called out her name rather loudly.

"Jane!"

She ran after her friend, not caring much about the dozen of people who had turned around before her unexpected outburst to check what was going on. She grabbed the detective's forearm to force her to stop.

"It isn't you but me." Maura closed her eyes as if to find the strength – the courage – she needed and bitterly laughed at her own wonders. "I don't want anyone to touch you but me. I don't want anyone to kiss you but me. Not Casey... Me. Me – me – and me. I don't want anyone to wake up next to you but me. I don't want... I don't want anyone to love you but me. Just me."

The silence that followed took Maura in an ocean of uncertainty. Wrapped up in doubts, she looked in disbelief at her friend; unable to move an inch.

She had never meant to say all this. Even less on a crime scene, with half of local television networks witnessing the scene. Her confession.

The wave of heat rushing up her cheeks took her back to reality. She swallowed hard and widened her eyes as an obvious panic began to spread over her mind.

"Oh my God."

Her words passed her lips through a blank voice she didn't even recognize as hers. The only sure thing was that her murmur hadn't been inaudible enough to remain unnoticed. Unfortunately.

Shocked, Jane cast a glance around her but didn't say anything. She had listened to the medical examiner's heartful monologue without moving an inch; carried by a sentiment of witnessing a scene from the outside in spite of being at the center of it.

Four years. She had met Maura Isles four years earlier on another crime scene. In theory, the very first time they had talked had occured at the Division One Cafe but deep in her heart, everything had started on Interstate 90 during an icy – snowy - New Year's Eve.

Four years for a friendship to build and develop leading to this exact moment of them standing in a dark alley of Chinatown. To the confession of something different, a lot more intense.

Love.

It might have been indirect – through half-words – Maura still had expressed herself openly; her shaking voice betraying the pain she was enduring. The battle of her heart trying to fight off her reason.

And among all this, Jane remained there. Quiet. Astonished.

"Rizzoli?"

Jane frowned and raised a hand in the air to stop her colleague. The officer was somewhere in her back. She couldn't see him. Anyway, her eyes were locked on Maura. The rest had turned invisible. Fuzzy and unimportant.

Three steps. She closed the distance that separated her from the honey blonde with three steps. An absolute nothing that still made the difference and marked a complete turn of direction.

A change of events.

She kissed her. Her hand slid on Maura's nape as she captured her friend's lips in a troubling kiss, a confusing one.

But soon the shape of reality – the taste of logic – imposed itself to her mind and she relaxed; smiled brightly in Maura's mouth before abandoning herself the least calculated gesture of her existence.

She didn't pay attention to the profusion of a thousand feelings that had suddenly passed underneath her skin to rush through her veins to nourish her heart. The whole world had stopped as evidence had won. The most delicate one, the most beautiful one.

The most unique one.

The fireworks exploded in the sky in a multitude of colors. She broke apart and immediately looked for the scientist's hazel eyes. She swallowed hard.

"Happy New Year, Maura Isles."

The confusion on the medical examiner's face slowly melted into something graceful; a peaceful sweetness that lit up her features and finally got rid of their darkness, the depth they had been caring for a while. A quiet pain.

"Happy New Year, Jane Rizzoli."


	5. Lace and Family

_**Author's note:**** Thank you very much for all the reviews and suggestions.**_

**Story Five: Lace And Family**

Focused on a bottle of Champagne she was about to uncork, Maura repressed a yawn and leaned against the counter of the kitchen. She made a face at a box nearby.

"I am not saying that milk chocolates taste badly. It is just that they aren't as good – neither are they for your health – than pure dark ones. But it is okay, Jane. Really."

No reply. She turned around only to realize that her partner was nowhere to be seen. The Italian had probably gone to change. She had worked until late and didn't want to spend New Year's Eve in her BPD outfit. If there was something Maura knew about Jane then it was how she loved hanging around the house in a pair of sweatpants and an old shirt.

Back to the bottle of Champagne.

Maura opened the drink – grabbed two glasses - and poured some sparkling wine in both.

The house was oddly quiet. As Jane had moved in, the medical examiner had learned to say goodbye to a peaceful place. Her partner was a real tornado.

From loud music to heavy steps, Jane didn't pass unnoticed and was anything but discreet. But in all honesty, even ig Maura might at times complained, she actually loved it more than anything.

"Would you like to go to the movies, tomorrow? Since we have a day off, I was thinking that maybe we could take advantage of it to..."

Jane cleared her voice, pushing Maura to turn around. Glasses of Champagne in hand, the scientist did only to freeze and gasp at the scene before her eyes.

Her partner had leaned against the wall – suggestively – and was wearing nothing but a jacket and red lingerie: a lacy bra and its matching hipsters. Garterbelts – stockings – and high heels. She had done her hair up in a loose bun; wavy strands framing her face, brushing her bold smile.

"I assumed it was time I gave into the Italian red underwear tradition. What do you think?"

Maura blinked. Jane had completely taken her by surprise. They had not really defined the kind of New Year's Eve they were about to spend together. It was the first anniversary of their couple and that surely meant a lot to the two of them but – curiously enough – they hadn't planned anything.

Or at least not until now.

As calmly as she could, Maura put the glasses down on the counter and walked to Jane; her eyes locked with the brunette's. She passed authoritative hands on her partner's waist, started playing with the lace of the garterbelts.

"I don't know for you but obviously such attention surely makes of me a very lucky person already..."

Jane's giggles melted in their kiss. A long, passionate one. Soon her jacket landed on the floor and they started walking blindly towards their bedroom, sighs echoing caresses; bold ones.

Their relationship was easy.

Since the very beginning, it all had seemed evident; logical. It was the first time the Italian felt at ease with someone. Maura had to be the one, the only one. Within a few weeks, Jane had moved to Beacon Hill and she couldn't think about a better decision she had taken in her existence so far.

The only thing missing was a matching ring on their respective fingers. Maybe.

And a child.

She landed on the mattress loudly, pushed by Maura and her lips travelling up and down her body; the tip of her tongue drawing invisible patterns on her shivering skin. She closed her eyes, smiled.

Whenever the scientist touched her, a sentiment of serenity seemed to invade her; something rare that she hadn't experienced before.

Not that the caresses provided by the blonde weren't arousing either but – all in all- Jane simply felt complete. Loved, and respected.

She opened her eyes back only to realize that her partner had got rid of her bra and was now fully working on discarding the garderbelts; her fingertips brushing sensually the hips, echoing hundred of kisses on the inner thighs.

Jane swallowed hard, repressed a moan. New Year's Eve would be memorable.

The stockings slid to her ankles, the bare touch making her shiver and arch her back in a quiet yet urging desire for more. The gesture elicited a smile on Maura's lips. Settled between Jane's legs – wearing nothing but her underwear herself – she grabbed her partner's hipsters and took them off.

They had learned about each other during this past year. A lot. Maura knew what turned Jane on and vice versa. The sensitive spot on her neck, the staccato pace of her hips when she sped up her own pelvis movement against her hot body. Everything. She knew the Italian by heart and loved seeing her like that at the mercy of her hands, of her lips.

Like now.

As she felt the tip of Maura's tongue brush her sensitive flesh, Jane bit her lower lip and plunged a hand in her partner's hair to drag her closer to her body. Yet without any strength whatsoever.

She had already lost control of everything for being too aroused.

The heat of Maura's mouth moved up slightly to her lower stomach and began to trace a path of soft – quick – kisses up her chest, preceeding the passing of a full hand on her breasts.

She felt the honey blonde's knee brush her and automatically squeezed it to prevent her partner from taking it away.

Not now. She needed her relief.

She found back with a barely repressed pleasure the taste of Maura's lips on hers and eagerly kissed her, the depth of the movement highlighting the intensity of her feelings; the whirl of warmth in her lower stomach, the one she had more and more difficulty to hold back.

She arched her back – passed a leg around the scientist's waist to tighten her grip – and succumbed to a powerful wave of feelings; a stifled gasp dying in her partner's mouth.

She closed her eyes – breathless – and smiled. Satisfied. Serene.

Long seconds passed by before she made it back to reality, before her conscience stopped floating between two worlds made of exhilirated feelings.

Her cheeks reddened by her irregular breathing – her hair a mess – she swallowed hard and rolled on a side to hold Maura tightly against her chest. She needed the contact, the heat of her partner's body against hers. Her smell.

"I want a child, with you."

Her words barely hit the air in spite of her sincerity. She had been thinking about it for a while but hadn't found a way to bring it up yet. Until now. She hadn't meant to do it that way, not like that.

But in the reminiscence of their first kiss, her statement had preceeded her reason and she hadn't been able to control it. There were no regrets, though. Absolutely none. She never had any when it came to her current relationship.

Maura's hand in her back froze right away.

Jane looked down at her and frowned. She could feel how her partner's body had tensed under her words. She had taken her aback. Maura's reaction – as silent as it was – was fair enough. She had to recognize it.

"A boy, a girl... I don't mind. I just want us to have a child."

Maura leaned up on her elbows and locked her eyes with Jane's dark ones. With a shaking hand, she put away a strand of hair from her lover's face and caressed her cheek; let her fingers brush her chin. The transition from friendship to a love story had gone smoothly. None had ever questioned. The moment Jane had kissed her on the Chinatown crime scene, Maura had understood that it was meant to be. The rest had come up with fluidity, a bare easiness.

"Really?" Her excessively short question made her blush. She hadn't meant to sound illeterate but she was at a loss for words. "I mean..."

"Adoption, artificial insemination. Anything. I don't care how we get there as long as I can go back home to my family every day. I want to raise someone with you. I want it."

A series of explosions resounded loud in the street. Maura turned around to look by the window. It was dark outside but only because they were too far from the fireworks spot. Midnight. A new year was beginning.

"You already have names in mind, don't you?" She squinted her eyes at Jane and smirked before shaking her head in disbelief.

Her partner shrugged and held back a laugh.

"Maybe...?"

Maura pouted – pondered the words – and settled back in Jane's arms. Her hand resumed the latent – slow – movement of caress on the brunette's back.

"One condition, though." She paused, cast a brief glance up at the detective. "I would like us to get married."

A grin appeared on Jane's lips, reaching her eyes to make them glimmer of delight. She rolled on her stomach – pinned Maura under her own body – and planted a soft kiss on her lips.

"Happy New Year, Maura Isles."

The medical examiner winked; her foot caressing suggestively her partner's ankle.

"Happy New Year, Jane Rizzoli."


	6. The Teletubbies Threat

**Story Six: The Teletubbies Threat**

Plastic cups in hand, Jane reached the door – stopped – and only came in once her breathing had gone back to normal. She smiled at Maura.

"Here's your tea." The brunette carefully gave the drink to Maura and made a face at the remaining glass in her hand. "And here's my... Ugh. Whatever. Are you sure I can't have anything else?"

The scientist rolled her eyes and motioned at the bed next to the armchair she had sat on. She didn't look as joyful as Jane. Slightly worried, maybe. Annoyed.

"Now lie back immediately. You are in labor. This isn't the best time of your life to enjoy a walk in the corridors of the hospital." She paused, tilted her head on a side as if to emphasize the words she had just shared. "Please."

The Italian nodded and – rather slowly – tried to oblige in spite of her stomach preventing her from moving around properly. At least within a few hours now, she would be freed of it.

"But I'm fine, Maura. And bored, here. I don't see why I should be in a hospital room like that. I'm not sick."

Maura smiled sympathetically and approached the bed to help her wife to settle back on it in a way that would soon relieve her increasing contractions.

She held back the desire to make a snarky remark and planted a soft kiss on top of Jane's head instead.

"It is going to be alright."

She understood Jane's latent nervousness. Their first child; the first time the Italian would give birth to someone. In spite of her medical knowledge, Maura had to recognize that she didn't really know what to expect from the upcoming hours. It was all blurry; exciting and new.

She sat back on her armchair and began to run a hand she hoped soothing along Jane's spine. The gesture had turned into a ritual during the detective's pregnancy. Something they would miss once back home.

Within a year, they had got married – at the courthouse on a beautiful Saturday morning of March – and had gone through an artificial insemination. Just one.

Jane had got pregnant immediately, as if it were meant to be. Their whole relationship seemed to obey to this scheme to the point that it was a bit scaring when Maura thought about it. They hadn't faced any obstacle whatsoever; nothing at all. What if the wind turned all of a sudden? What if this peace only meant troubles for the years that had to come?

Sweeping away such negative wonder, Maura grabbed the remote control and turned the television on. A sport channel. There had to be a hockey game somewhere.

"You won't find Yo-Yo Ma on, Maur'."

The medical examiner laughed lightly and shook her head at the remark.

"No, indeed. But it seems like you aren't ready for it yet so how about a hockey game?" She winked at Jane and bit her lower lip. "It can take time, you know it. Let's keep Yo-Yo Ma for later."

Touched by the gesture – Maura agreeing on watching sport was rare enough to be mentioned – the brunette smiled happily and rested an arm behind her head. She wasn't much in a hurry to deliver if she had to be honest. She was looking forward to seeing their child – boy or girl – but not really the whole part before. In theory, she was ready. They had gone to Lamaze classes, she had reached her due date and her water had broken naturally but she liked the way it was now; just the two of them. Their last hours together without anyone else.

Besides, the contractions weren't too painful yet. She could handle them without any problem.

"Do you think ma' is gonna make it on time?" Jane huddled up against herself and avoided Maura's gaze on her.

Of course, she had had to start labor the day her mother was out of town. Who could she blame for it, anyway? New Year's Eve. It was fair enough if the matriarch had plans outside of Boston. But it bothered Jane a bit; just a bit. For once, she wouldn't have minded having her mother around.

"She is on her way, don't be worried. With a bit of luck, her plane is going to land more or less at the same time as my parents' own flight and they will drive from the airport together."

Jane nodded yet not convincingly enough to Maura's taste. A bit disarmed, the honey blonde came even closer to the hospital bed and took her wife in her arms. She would miss the supportive role – the one she had played – throughout the pregnancy. If they ever decided to have another child then she would be the one giving birth.

The choice of Jane had seemed logical enough. After all, she had asked for it in the first place and she was older too.

She might not have given into a profusion of feelings regarding the idea, Maura knew that her wife had wanted to carry this child. She had lived the pregnancy rather well, even as she had had to slow down at the BPD. Jane seemed to find serenity through it; and wisdom.

"Now help me put back that thing around my stomach. The midwife won't be happy if she notices I took it off again. C'mon!"

Maura rolled her eyes yet nonetheless obliged. As much as obstetrics was not her specialty, she had not forgotten the basics either.

"This machine is a monitoring, Jane. I can't believe you actually got rid of it. I know that everything is going fine but still..."

"You didn't try to hold me back!" The brunette chuckled as she turned her head around to see what looked like the most immense shock Maura had ever had.

The scientist gasped, at a loss for words for a few seconds.

"You threatened me of calling our child after one of the Teletubbies if I did!"

Someone knocked on the door, putting thus an end to their argument. Maura straightened up on her chair and let Jane authorize the person to come in.

"How are you doing?" Catherine – the midwife – joyfully entered the room and walked straight to the monitoring machine to check the baby's heartbeats.

Jane coughed and moved nervously on her bed.

"Fine, fine. I err... I went to the bathroom though. That's why it got... That's why it got disconnected. Like, for a while."

Maura choked on her tea but didn't say anything. TJ loved watching The Teletubbies and she knew their names by heart. There was no way her child would honor one of them.

Catherine looked up – amused – and nodded at Jane; a twinkle in her eyes. She was still young but surely didn't lack experience when it came to parents' excuses in labor rooms. Obviously the Italian's explanation hadn't convinced her.

"Fine. Let's now check how you've been working on this dilation. How about the contractions? Not too strong – I presume – if you still can get up and walk a bit. You haven't changed your mind about the epidural?"

Jane shook her head and cast a brief glance at Maura. It was late and they were both tired; tired and anxious. Were they linked to New Year's Eve that every single stage of their life seemed to be made on that night? Their friendship, their first kiss... It all had happened on December, 31st. Jane smiled at the thought. There was something cute about the idea.

"No, I haven't. I don't want one."

She was determined on it. As a matter of fact, she had always been. From the moment she had been sure she was pregnant, Jane had stated that she would not get an epidural to deliver their child. She wanted the moment to be as natural as it could be; no matter the pain inflicted.

"You're brave! But we definitely support you on this decision. However – if you felt the desire to go and finally have one – there is no problem. Just make sure to let us know on time. I count on you as well, Maura. You are a physician. You know how it works."

Still ashamed of Jane's lie, Maura nodded quietly at the midwife and shot a death glare at her very own wife.

"Up to four. You're doing great. Looks like your child could be the first one to be born for the new year, here! Or even in Boston. You might make the news."

On that, Catherine left the room again with the same cheerful attitude she had had when coming in. Jane counted until five in her head before finally looking at Maura. She smirked.

"Laa-Laa..."

Maura rolled her eyes – gasped - and snapped Jane's arm. She settled further on her armchair and grabbed the remote control to zap from a hockey game to the news. The brunette protested.

In vain.

"Next time you will know better than to blackmail me, Jane."

Thalia was born on January, 1st at 00:05am. A healthy baby girl whom her mothers welcomed with emotion; smiles and tears of joy. There wasn't red lingerie this time around – no specific tradition – but the sentiment to have reached a level of serenity and accomplishment in life that neither Maura nor Jane would have thought possible before.

Holding their daughter in her arms – at almost 1am – Maura looked at her wife and smiled. Again and again. She held out her index finger for the brunette to reach it; not daring to wake up the newborn who was sleeping against her.

"Happy New Year, Jane Rizzoli-Isles." Her whisper rose in the air with all the sweetness in the world.

Jane cast a last glance at the bouquets of flowers that her mother and Maura's parents had brought in a few minutes earlier then bent over to plant a kiss on her wife's shoulder.

Happy New Year, Maura Isles-Rizzoli."

...

_**Author's note: Thank you very much for all your reviews, all along these one shots. I wish you the best for 2015 and will be back on January, 2nd with a brand new multiple-chapter story. **_


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